Charcoal

This is my FIRST EVER project using charcoal! And my first attempt at a realistically proportioned face. And exercise for the first week of the online class Paint Your Heart and Soul 2017, with Olga Furman and a variety of amazingly talented artists. (If you’re not signed up, I’d recommend checking it out).

This comes after a day of doing a seemingly simple project for Book of Days 2017 (or BOD), with Effy Wild, and struggling with my supplies immensely. I basically ruined it, (and am no longer a fan of Molotow Paint Markers), and repainted it into something beautiful! (More on my BOD to come. 😉 )

The message in the first Book of Days lesson was to be gentle to yourself, and to your art. A very appropriate reminder for me, since I have been becoming increasingly critical with my work, as I fiddle with details and doing things “properly” instead of just playing and experimenting. So having the piece transform from a mess into something beautiful and meditative was a welcomed treat. The second message in the class was a prompt with the word “Begin”. Well, let me tell you how much I NEEDED THAT!!! I have so many things on the go, art and otherwise, and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed and paralyzed by not being able to make a decision as to which item to do or work on…I can’t even choose which list to create and attend to. So the prompt, BEGIN, for me meant…just start something, anything, but begin.

Of course, one thing lead to another. I downloaded the lesson, watched the videos, went shopping for charcoal, and came back and did it. The fear was gone, because it didn’t matter how it turned out. I’ve been trying so hard recently to plan my art, and make something that others will like rather than creating for me, for my soul. Being a student again and just starting something took the pressure off. This is new, so it won’t be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be. I love it. I love her! She turned out better than I had expected. She’s not identical to the reference photo, so there IS room for improvement, don’t get me wrong. But she looks like a real person. I believe this is the innocent inner child that wants to come out and play when I’m creating. Something about her, I just want to give her a hug. And then I think, “I did that, I created her, she fell out of my pencil”, and I feel very proud and blessed.

Thank you for listening! New year, new classes and new supplies! Share with me the classes you are starting. Art or otherwise. 😉 Cheers!

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Published by lizzieloumixedmedia

I am an artist and a runner, learning to embrace inspiration and accept imperfections one step at a time. This is the journey of me recreating and redefining myself after a head injury, through depression and anxiety.
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